Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-28

it was disguise to help him in his noble
Ito japanese ideas) object of revenge, spat
on him in contempt On learning his mis-
take, the Satsuma man, in remorse, COM
mitted suicide at the grave IN Shlba and
was buried by the side of the great forty
seven. Returning through the park of
| Shiba one comes to
THE ABRUPT HILL OF ATAGo,
With its two flights of stone steps, the one
steep and fatiguing, called the "men's
steps," and the other to the right, winding
| around the hill in easy grade, is called the
| women's steps" The easy fight is in
| tested with beggars, so climbed the stairs
intended for my sex's use and was glad to
rest in the tea-booth at the summit. After
| the first cup of tea had been drunk, the
pretty girl in resplendant 0bu served me
with cup of cherry blossom tea, for which
| the place is noted. The aroma of this
cup was sweet, something like that of the
Glove pink, but the flavor was not agreeable
| to my palate, being rather insipid, though
when | tasted one of the leaves it was as
sour as vinegar. A very esthetic beverage
is cherry blossom tea, but mug Of white
| capped Bavarian beer is what one signs
| for after climb up such an ascent. The
view of the city is unsurpassed, and fair
| idea of its yastness can be obtained, for a
turbid sea of roofs, with here and there
| high wave-cap of temple, rolls away to
| the misty horizon of Ueno. The island
| forts of Shinagawa show, and a broad reach
of muddy bay A red-cheeked beggar boy
with monotonous droning song comes
along, and standing by my side strikes at
intervals couple OF gourd bells, until in
despair of gaining more enjoyment, if |
stay all day, with this persistent and an
and down the "women's steps" amid a
horde of his despicable profession. There
is just now
A PUBLIC EXHIBITION
In a building in Ueno, consisting mostly ola
display Of foreign style" bonnets and
dresses by native architects, it is enough
to say that they are one and all simply
atrocious, save some which came from
Paris direct; not kimono is 20 be seen
in any Of the cases, and nothing of any
earthly value but the pictures by native
artists in the native school; the pictures in
the European school are, of course. far
from good, but as a collection shows more
education and a better artistic taste than
any similar exhibition in San Francisco.
The Ueno temples, am glad to say, are
not open to the public, so | am relieved of
one annoyance and have hope of not hay
ing chronic dyspepsia in my sightseeing
abilities
AT THE ENTRANCE TO UENo PARK
Are the three bridges, known as Sam
mai-bashi, which are of interest as being
| the spot where Sogoro hid until the
| Shotgun Tye-mitsu passed by, when he
| thrust petition into the sedan. chair of
the Shotgun asking help for the people of
Sakura against the oppression of the
Dalmio of that province. The petition
was heard, but Sogoro had to die as pun
| lshment for so great breech of etiquette
| as personally approaching the Shotgun.
| Milford is his beautiful book "Tales of
Old Japan" tells this story in his pc
cullarly effective manner, and | retell it
from memory ana cannot give the finer
details, which well show the many strange
traits of the japanese character. To the
left lies the Lake Shinobazu no Ike. which
in summer time is brilliant with lotus.
| Around the lake runs
y FINELY-CoNsTRCCTED RACE-CoURsE,
Said to be as good as any in the world.
There are many boating parties on this
little lake in these days, and Ueno is filed
with holiday-makers, come to see the
| cherry blossoms, which now are at their
| best. Of on afternoon the crowd is a CAV
one, but apt to have too much sake on
board to steer we'll, and the air is quite
scented with the fumes of the liquor.
However, there is little trouble, for the
| drunken men are not boisterous, and the
many excellent police are ever ready to
suppress any undue noise or roughness. 1t
| Is very amusing to see the Difference which
Is paid TO these little police by the natives
even of the highest classes, for they seldom
ask a question of them without standing
uncovered during the whole conversation:
all of which respect the little policemen
take as a matter of course and due to them
as arms of the law. In one of Ueno's
groves is the grave of a certain woman of
olden times
WHO HAD SEVEN HUSBANDS,
! All of whom she choked to death-the
seventh was the last simply because she
was discovered. Men are truly brave. and
will venture where they might well trem-
bic, and | shall always, from alar off. adj
mire the courage of those who, like these
seven choked departed, dare the dangers of
matrimony. Here is also the grave of a
cat which, dare say, devoured even more
than seven silly mice in her day, and did
not show her nails until she got the help
less fellows under her soft paw
The moon is now just waning. 1t is the
brightest moon of the year-the Easter
moon-and it shines as silvery upon
THE DRAGON GARGoYLEs OF UENo.
As upon the gray cross in Shiba. The
beautiful services are over and the last
"alleluja" has been sung by the choir of
white-robed boys as they filed before the
chancel rail and entered the robing-room
their sweet voices seem to melt away into
farthest distance, while the Bishop kneels
silently at the flower decked altar. All is
wrapped in silence for a while and then
the quiet departure, little shutiling of
feet and rustling of dresses, a grav-haired
woman leads blind boy down the aisle,
and the little church is empty. The lights
are still burning as | look back, and the
| golden cross above the altar shines out, far
out, into the night. The moonlight upon
the misty trees, whose sweetness fills the
air, makes them more fairylike and unreal
than by day; like the clouds, they are
seemingly about to become nothing. A
| kindlier feeling for these people than ! had
of late rises within me as | walk through
the silent, shadowv grove of Shiba; may
| they as well as live till another Easter
comes with its messages of Joy, and live,
not with the old leayen, nor with the
leaven of malice and wickedness, but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity and
I truth" CHARLES A. GUNNIsoN.